AFTER the false information that has been circulating on social media regarding the National Manpower and Development Secretariat (NMDS) loan bursary debt collection tender, the institution has come out with guns blazing, rubbishing the allegations and describing them as false and misleading.
business
Sept. 22, 2022
NEO SENOKO
2 min read
NMDS rubbishes tender claims
NMDS offices in Maseru
Story highlights
Social media shows that KGT Incorporated has been engaged to collect bursary debts for NMDS
NMDS warns public against fraudsters, saying the allegations are untrue
News have been circulating, mainly on social media platforms indicating that a company called KGT Incorporated has been appointed for loan bursary debt collection services on behalf of the NMDS.
However, the NMDS has since shot down the said allegations.
“The National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS) informs the general public of fake and false information circulating on social media platforms about a company/companies and/or a group of people one of them allegedly named KGT Incorporated claiming to have been appointed for loan bursary debt collection services on behalf of NMDS.
“The public is herein notified that the government and NMDS have neither appointed nor engaged any debt collector in anyway whatsoever, hence, any claim to recover loan bursaries on behalf of NMDS is a scam,” NMDS said in a statement.
The institution went on to warn the public against such fraudsters, informing all stakeholders that it was not accountable for such claims.
The NMDS is a department under the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) mandated through the National Manpower Development Council Act of 1978 to provide loan bursaries to deserving Basotho students wishing to pursue higher education and training.
The NMDS specifically administers partially reimbursable loan bursaries on behalf of the government for students pursuing priority fields of study at tertiary and vocational schools locally, regionally and internationally.
The institution has been struggling to get it right with regard to the entire debt collection processes over the years and it seems the frustrations are enduring.
For instance, in 2015, a local firm, Jamale Holdings had its contract terminated for misrepresenting itself during the tender process.
According to the then reports, Jamale deceived the NMDS and the Ministry of Planning, claiming to have partnered with a well-known expert and consultant, Christopher Bean of South Africa as it had no prior experience in debt collection. During the three years that it was engaged, Jamale never met the government’s M5 million per month collection target.
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Recently, the NMDS lost an amount of M1 519 790.55 which was meant to assist with the sponsorship of Basotho students in the past year, due to the fraudulent activities of some of its employees.
The ministry came across bank payment confirmation slips that were fraudulent from students so that they could receive sponsorship from the NMDS.
The fraud was confirmed by Standard Lesotho Bank, proving that the money involved was not deposited in the NMDS account number.
Another fraud involved falsification of education qualifications by students applying for sponsorship at NMDS.
The NMDS Public Relations Officer, Moeketsi Rankhone has since been implicated and charged with fraud by the Maseru Magistrate Court in July this year.
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